powered vs unpowered subwoofer

[navychop]

Is it really necessary to get a powered sub for good sound? At what point would you move to powered? And it seems some have the amp built in, some are external- is there any real functional concern either way?

Is it reasonable to expect to get a good 12 inch subwoofer for $300-$500? I've seen some for around $2,000 - and that's not going to happen (for me).

 

[giveuspurehd]

http://www.svsound.com/
check out these guys.a "b" stock sub might be what your lookin for.i have the pc plus 20-39 and i love it.much better than you would find at best buy.it depends on if you want a boombox or a real sub that can do the job right.svs has a sub thats in the $400 range.check them out for sure!!1have a good 1.

 

[Peter Parker]

I am not sure that there isa good rule of thumb on when you need that subwoofer to be powered. last year I did some research on 5.1 and 7.1 systems in the midprice range (charper can tell you what a pain I was) and even those tended to have power through crossover cables if not from an amp in the subwoofer.

As for how much to spend that really depends on your budget. there are some good subwoofers in the price range you describe. If you were to spend another thousand it would probably be better but how much better is the question.


I would vote for a decent subwoofer from a reputable maker somewhere in that 4300 range. There are plenty to choose from. Asa fellow Northern Virginian I can tell you that once you select a few there are usually several chains where you can make comparisons. Northern Virginia may have inadequate roads but we have plenty of shopping centers.

 

[navychop]

The only good place I've found around here to audition speakers is Myers-Emco. I'm open to any suggestions.

 

[berck]

One advantage the powered sub has it that you can adjust the strength of the sound being generated separate from the amp/receiver.

 

[gdarwin]

If your amp only has the sub output at the preamp level, you are forced to go with powered.

 

[navychop]

But with a sub out after amplification, I can use either powered or unpowered?

 

[jpn]

I've got a Klipsch sub that I'm no longer using. Perfect working condition and can be driven at line-level or speaker-level. 100W amp built-in. 10-inch front-facing driver. Originally had a rear-facing 12-inch passive driver that I replaced with a 12-inch active driver. Black lacquer finish is in very good condition.

It's fairly large and heavy, the shipping on it is probably more than it's worth. If you travel through the Raleigh area give me a shout and you can have it if you want to pick it up.

http://www.klipsch.com/products/discontinued/details/sw-10.aspx

 

[navychop]

Thank you. I used to frequent Raleigh/Cary every few months. But it will probably be quite a while before we pass that way again.

 

[Inno]

I've got a Klipsch sub that I'm no longer using. Perfect working condition and can be driven at line-level or speaker-level. 100W amp built-in. 10-inch front-facing driver. Originally had a rear-facing 12-inch passive driver that I replaced with a 12-inch active driver. Black lacquer finish is in very good condition.

It's fairly large and heavy, the shipping on it is probably more than it's worth. If you travel through the Raleigh area give me a shout and you can have it if you want to pick it up.

http://www.klipsch.com/products/discontinued/details/sw-10.aspx

Originally had a rear-facing 12-inch passive driver that I replaced with a 12-inch active driver.

You mean you took out the passive radiator and put in another subwoofer? Connected to what? So you've got some sort of mismatched "push pull" 10"/12" combination? Ummm.........I fail to see the logic in this.